Muskoka’s dog guide golf tournament turns five

Huntsville Forester

MUSKOKA - Dogs are said to be man’s best friend. This is particularly true for people who rely on working canine companions to make their world more accessible.
The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides holds a golf tournament in Bracebridge every year to raise funds which go toward providing dog guides free of charge.
This year’s event is planned for June 27.
Initiated by Bert Spencer and his wife, Nan, in 2007, because they are not only dog foster parents, they were determined to help support Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides with its amazing work.
“We had thought about fostering for Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides when we lived in Bowmanville and were still working. Because of our work, we decided we were not quite ready to foster,” said Nan. “Retirement gave us the opportunity and the time we felt we could give to raising and training a puppy for the Lions Foundation. Once being accepted into the foster puppy program, we realized that we should have fostered during our working years. The time taking our puppy to work with would have given the puppy a sound base for its future life as a wonderful companion for a person with a disability so that they could enjoy their life to the fullest extent possible.”
The Spencers were puppy foster parents in Muskoka and eventually adopted Logan, a trainee who turned out to be better suited as a pet than as a dog guide. Logan is still Nan’s constant companion.
Their fostering would have continued however Bert succumbed to cancer; but Nan continued the work with the golf tournament and continues to this day. It was Bert’s giving spirit to dog guides that lead to the decision to call the tournament the Bert Spencer Memorial Golf Classic for Dog Guides.
Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is a national charitable organization that provides dog guides to Canadians with disabilities at no cost. There are currently five kinds of dog guides trained to help with a wide range of disabilities: Canine Vision, for people who are blind or visually impaired; Hearing Ear, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing; Special Skills, for people with a medical or physical disability; Seizure Response, for people with epilepsy; and Autism Assistance, for children aged 3-18 with autism spectrum disorder.
This year’s event goal is to raise $12,000 to sponsor an Autism Assistance Dog Guide team. There were 82 players last year and organizers encourage all who participated to register again.
“If you play golf, please circle the date now and if you just want to have dinner with friends, come join us. We promise wonderful prizes, exciting auction items, a great meal and a fun time at our new, larger facilities at South Muskoka Golf in Bracebridge,” said Brenda Paterson, organizer for the tourney.
Register at muskokadogguidesgolf.ca.